“We have lost the awareness that we live within a greater cosmic dimension, which, like the Great Mother, spins and weaves the extraordinary web of life through which we are connected to each other, to all life on earth and to all cosmic life.” Anne Baring, The Dream of the Cosmos
We all have probably wondered what is going on. How did we get to this desperate juncture? Why is there so much violence, sickness, death and suffering in the world? Anne Baring’s book, cited above, is an examination of these questions and her answer can be summed up in the quote. We have lost sight of who we are, where we come from and how we are intricately connected within a sacred web of life birthed from the womb of the Great Mother.
Our modern civilization is based on dual misconceptions arising from religion and science, both of which are based on the premise of male dominance. Science has taken us from a wholistic perception in which we were embedded in a meaningful web of sacred life, into a sterile, meaningless universe, consisting only of matter and the laws that govern it. Religion has stripped us of our divinity and reduced us to flawed, sinful, fallen shadows of God’s ideal.
The Earth which once was a paradise, a garden of plenty, a living consciousness, is now valued only as a resource for the accumulation of wealth and power. Where once we loved this sacred ground, we now clear cut the forests that oxygenate our atmosphere, topple mountains to get at minerals we turn into weapons, poison our precious soil with man-made chemicals, dump our waste in precious waters and slay animals for sport.
We despoil our home planet because we don’t value it. We let our children starve, our mothers struggle, and our sons learn violence and hatred because we don’t value ourselves. We too have become commodities and our very bodies, the temples of our souls, will slowly be replaced by synthetics, discarded as inferior versions of the perfected robot that man can create. Our wondrous, brilliant, complex, ensouled bodies will be tossed aside the way we are tossing our planet, if we let science, technology and business have their way.
Ann Baring postulates that every civilization is based on our belief system, our paradigm. She writes, “All civilizations possess in their beginnings one feature in common: they present a new image of Man.” We see where the beliefs of our patriarchal paradigm have led us. A civilization based on flawed Man cannot thrive. A world of hierarchy goes against the grain of our Oneness. Our job now is to seek that new vision of humans. This is our quest, and the precious grail we seek is the reintegration of the Divine Feminine. How do we find it? We travel into our own depths where we are connected to the truth, where we are the embodiment of Love, Wisdom, Wonder and Joy. We discover the new vision of humanity by discovering our own divine essence. That path is strewn with boulders from our past and that’s why we do shadow work, to discover the unconscious assumptions that produced the wounds of our past. waking up to a new reality, seeing the bigger picture, remembering who we really are – ensouled star dust, the miraculous manifestation of Divine Love.
This is what our evolution is about – self-realization. When we discover that precious Grail of Soul, and integrate the divine feminine, we will build a new civilization upon it.
So what does this have to do with the New Moon in Leo? Let’s take a look.
New Moon 5:38 Leo
On Thursday July 28, the Moon joins the Sun at 10:55 a.m. Pacific. Two hours later Jupiter turns retrograde. So we are starting a new phase of our growth. A New Moon is a fresh start and anything is possible. When Jupiter, the planet of growth, expansion, optimism and faith, turns retrograde we go back over some territory we just covered. We have been caught up in the worldly drama. Now it’s time to look within and ask, “What have I learned? What can I see now, that I couldn’t before?” It is the harvest of wisdom and vision within that evolves us consciously and at this point our evolution depends on our being conscious.
Jupiter is at 9 degrees of Aries and will move back for a final visit to the late degrees of Pisces where it will station and turn direct on the New Moon in Sagittarius. Can you see what we are birthing here? A collective vision of the truth of who we are as human beings. Only when we know who we are, will we be able to build a wondrous new civilization based on our new image. We can restore the Garden of Eden. We can fulfill the Cosmic Dream of Spirit Manifest. It’s our choice.
If you are reading this, you are one of the visionaries. We can focus the next four months on gestating this vision. We all have glimmers or fantasies about a perfect future. We can build upon these. We sure know what needs to change. So what would this changed world look like? Our imagination has no limit. The next four months are sacred. And an absolute host of cosmic players are here to help. I just want to mention that we don’t have to work hard. We just have to pay attention and surrender to the flow. We will be guided. Clues will abound. We meet each moment consciously and look for information and opportunities. This is a wondrous adventure. And in Leo fashion, we can let it be fun.
Leo energy radiates courage, to be and express the self. It is creative, playful, filled with heart. It is time for us to step into the light that we are and stop hiding. Our world is filled with beautiful souls sharing our dreams. We recognize each other – hundreds of thousands of us encircling our planet raising their frequency and lifting out of this vibration into one that will support our values. There is a collective longing that carries great power. You might even want to roar. Leo is a leader who displays the courage to break new territory, be seen and known.
In the USA chart the New Moon takes place in the 8th House. You’ll probably hear a lot about finance and markets, but the 8th House is associated with mysticism, the unknown, frontiers of consciousness that only the Lion-Hearted dare explore. At the same degree is the slow-moving Kuiper Belt dwarf planet Varuna. Alan Clay believes that Varuna is the higher octave of Saturn. It represents sovereignty which is the matured and integrated Self, or what I call the Spiritual Adult. It is the self-realized being with the capability to manifest a new reality.
I will be writing a lot more about these dwarfs. I’m considering offering a series of classes about them because I believe these are the allies of our evolution. They carry new faculties and frequencies. They have always been there, vibrating in our field. But now we are discovering them with our telescopes which reminds us, “As Above, so Below.” What part of the human psyche is awakening? New gods and goddesses are showing up to lead the way.
Several dwarf planets are lending assistance this month, as well as asteroids and centaurs. There is a preponderance of feminine energy. Ceres is within three degrees of the New Moon, so our 8th House mystical journey includes Mother Earth as the embodiment of the Divine Feminine. Ceres is the goddess of nurturing, abundance and care.
This stellium of Sun, Moon, Ceres and Varuna is conjunct the USA North Node. The timing is perfect to think about what future we want for our country, our planet, humanity and civilization. Of course these planets in Leo are all opposite the South Node in Aquarius, the sign of Humanity where Chariklo is sitting, a healing presence for processing our past.
New Moon Yod
You recall that a Yod is a configuration in which two planets are 60 degrees apart and each is 150 degrees from a third object. It’s called a Finger of God that is literally pointing to the answer. The New Moon stellium of Sun/Spirit, Moon/Soul, Ceres the Great Mother, and Varuna the sovereign self, is the apex of this Yod. The other two heavenly bodies are in tight quincunx at the same degree, or partile. At one end lies Vesta in Pisces, an asteroid goddess of devotion to what is sacred. She tends the flame of the Divine within us – the living soul. We need to nurture our souls this month and on through to next year. The other leg of this Yod is Quaoar in Capricorn. This elusive dwarf cannot be pinned down but we agree it is a source of raw spiritual energy, powerfully playful and joyously creative.
What if we could tap into that creative power? And find that sacred devotion in our hearts? Those treasures lie within marking the path to the Essential Self. What a powerful rebirth that would be!
I would suggest you luxuriate this month. Whatever makes you feel delicious. Think of how lions yawn and stretch out in the Sun. Pleasure is called for.
Miscellaneous Cast
Our Leo stellium squares transiting Hygeia reminding us to tend our health and think of the health of our planet as well. It also sextiles MakeMake. This dwarf has become my personal favorite. The higher octave of Uranus, this little planet is the great shaman/teacher. While Uranus wakes us up and throws its lightning bolts of insight, MakeMake leads us to a new vision of reality. We see a bigger picture. Sometimes it takes a painful experience to shake loose some false perceptions, but if we pay attention, we can let go quickly.
Venus is conjunct the USA Sun, bringing gentle energies of beauty, harmony and peace. Here’s the goddess of love and beauty radiating on our collective consciousness. We can let it in. Part of waking up is expanding our capacity to love.
Juno is conjunct Neptune which is headed back toward its final opposition to its natal place in our nation’s chart. I have suggested before that Neptune is asking us to surrender our separation, slide back into the divine slipstream. And it is asking us to take an honest look at our spirituality. I heard a guy the other day suggesting that America become a Christian State. Can you imagine the horror, not to mention the irony! We founded this nation as a safe haven for all religions.
From what we see these days, what is passing for religious faith is no more than hollow, but adamant, beliefs. We shake our heads at Muslim states that control all behavior and suppress women. Isn’t that the road we’re on ourselves? First we take away reproductive rights and hand control to the state. Hmmm. Religion has strayed far from its spiritual roots and we need to realize that. We need to reclaim the values and shed the dogma.
Juno brings the energy of commitment to partnership/marriage. She takes vows seriously. What vows have we made? Were they in our best interest? Juno also carries the energy of a long-suffering wife with a philandering husband. Every light has its shadow.
Transiting Pallas is about to rise above the horizon. Can we finally look forward to some justice? We need accountability. We need to take back some power from those who police us. The law is just one of our currently dysfunctional systems. The Supreme Court has taken law into its own hands. It is now making law, based on religious values, not interpreting existing law, which is its function. I’m sure they hope we don’t notice.
Saturn is still closing in on a square to the Moon’s Nodes so we’re still grinding out our plan for the future. Pluto and Eris are still deconstructing while Haumea weaves her magic behind the scenes.
The Grand Finale
On July 31st Uranus and the North Node have a head on collision. The very next day, August 1st, Mars makes it a three-car pile-up. That’s one way to look at it, and we may see some disturbing things. For instance there’s a volcano erupting in Japan and the government is warning its people. A 7 point earthquake has rattled the Philippines and taken several lives. Fireballs are flaming across skies in Texas and Indiana. There are strange red lights over the Atlantic Ocean, spotted by a pilot. I saw an article declaring that Earth’s electro-magnetic field opened up a crack for 14 hours. Putin pulled an early punch. The day after he and Zelensky signed an agreement to ship grain out to the world and prevent starvation in Africa, he bombed Odessa, their shipping port.
Anything can happen. After all this is Uranus, planet of surprises, uprisings, revolutions, electric bolts and nuclear energy. Whatever happens over the next few months will bring about a change of direction. Uranus can be a brick wall if you’re headed down the wrong road, dozing all the way.
But now that we know about it, we can get in step. We can grab onto the spirit of change and let it carry us forward. We can be willing to see what is holding us back, what baggage is just too heavy to carry any longer. We can set down the burdens, forgive the past and get to work as agents of transformation.
One more quote from Anne Baring: “The essential myth of the Moon is the myth of transformation.” This month is ripe for it.
Calendar of events:
July 28 Mercury in Leo square Uranus in Taurus – think about change Also square the North Node – think about the future
Jupiter turns retrograde
July 30 Mercury opposite Saturn Rx in Aquarius
Delta Aquariid meteor shower – enjoy the show
July 31 North Node conjuncts Uranus
Sun trines Jupiter
Aug 1 Mars conjunct North Node
Mars conjunct Uranus
Aug 2 Venus sextile North Node – bring in the feminine
Also sextile Uranus and Mars
Aug 3 Mercury moves into Virgo – exercise discernment
Aug 7 Venus trine Neptune – lift the frequency of your love
Mars square Saturn – watch those patriarchs in action
Aug 8 Venus opposite Pluto – what comes up?
Aug 10 Sun square Nodes – how does Spirit manifest in your future?
Aug 11 Full Moon in Aquarius opposite Uranus – more surprises/change
Venus moves into Leo
Have a wonderful fortnight of growing awareness. Try to hold your center – that’s where strength and safety live. I leave you with a thought presented by Nura Rachelle, host of the New Moon cycle on Astrology Hub. I paraphrase and think it was from the Tao of Leadership, a book she was suggesting. It’s something like this, “The way you love yourself is the way you teach others to love you.” Food for thought.
Aureal Williams
Diana, this post is fabulous. So very helpful ~~ encouraging, supportive, and awakening. Thank you!
Diana Vilas
I’m so glad. Thank you for your comment.